Bedstead-fastening



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oFFToE.

ADOLPI-I RODA, OF ROCHESTER, NEYV YORK.

BEDSTEAD-FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADoLrH RODA, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and lImproved Bedstead-Fastening; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l, is a detached view of the wrench lever A. Fig. 2, is a detached perspective view of the hooked bolt, B. Fig. 3, is a horizontal section of the post and rails of a bedstead, showing the fastening devices as con nected. Fig. 4, is a vertical section of the post showing the wrench in elevation, and the end of the hook in its proper position previous to tightening.

Similar letters refer to corresponding parts in all of the figures.

My improved fastening is designed for the purpose of connecting the joints between the posts and rails in bedsteads and may also be employed for other similar purposes.

It consists, as represented in the drawings, solely of two parts, the wrench lever A, and the hooked bar B. These by being properly inserted in the post and its adjuncts afford a lock or fastening that has all the qualities of strength, facility of connecting and disconnecting, and for increasing the tightness of contact from time to time, that is essential to the purpose. V

To understand the manner of using these parts, it is necessary to state that two mortises are made in the post G, one of a depth and size to readily admit the bit or head of the wrench C, Fig. 3, and the other d at right angles with this, and extending across it, though its greater port-ion is above.

The reverse side of the head of the wrench is simply a flat disk, while the obverse is thin on the edge adjacent to the lever at e, and increases in thickness for about half its distance around the periphery, thus producing an inclined plane or wedge. A hole f is provided in the center, through which a screw is passed to form an axis on which it turns, and the weight is reduced by casting it with a hole g through the thick side or that opposite to the wedge. A reduction of the weight is the only obj ect of this, however.

The bolt consists simply of a bar of metal, having a hook L at one end and a circular boss, or projection, z', at the other. The bar 26,924, dated January 24, 1860.

lies against the side 0f the board or rail, while the boss z' enters a hole of suitable size bored for that purpose with a bit or auger. The block of wood F, which is commonly employed to prevent the warping of the board, keeps the hook in its position, and prevents its falling, pulling out, or turning on the pivot or projection The wrench and bar having been secured in their proper places, the head or projecting part of the latter, which constitutes the hook, is inserted into the cross-mortise d above, and dropped over the thin part of the head of the wrench, (the handle of which is kept somewhat elevated at the time), as is shown in Fig. 4. The lever is then depressed, revolving the wedge portion under the hook, drawing it forward with great force, and with it necessarily the side rail H, to which it is fastened by the boss z'.

It will be borne in mind that the bolt, B, does not slide or move on the rail, but is fixed thereto, and also that the wrench only moves on a center, and that it has the whole of its smooth back surface bearing against the solid wood to receive the strain upon it. Turning its lever so as to bring its inclined plane into wedge-like action only draws the parts to which each is attached, (viz., the post and rail,) nearer together7 rendering the joint tighter and stronger. The solid surface of the bar rests on the edge of the` wrench-disk, so that it is capable of sustaining a very great weight. In most of the numerous devices for fastening the joints of bedsteads, where a hook is used it is connected with a pin or piece of wire put through the mortise, which results in serious disadvantages, and among them it may be mentioned that the pin yields as the hook draws upon it, both from bending itself, and from straining and displacing the fibers of the wood if soft.

The hook is ordinarily caught on the pin and then drawn back to tighten the joint and repeating the operation a few times will cause the pin to yield, and the joint thus becomes open and loose.

The bar B, may be square or flat or of any form most conveniently made. One of its functions is the holding of the rails H, in a position perpendicular to the post, and this it does in consequence of the boss z' being at a right angle with its longitudinal direction, and the head fitting snugly in the mortise so that neither can turn. Guide pins are placed in the end of the rails, butv they Serve more to direct the parts in putting them together, than to hold them When united, as they are Withoutv much strength. The post and rails are fitted to receive the hook and Wrench by a very trivial labor, viz., making the cross mortises in the former, and boring a hole for the boss in the latter. The act of connecting the parts is effected almost instantly, and they may be disconnected with equal facility, by simply raising the Wrench lever, Which loosens the hook and releases the rail.

The joint thus formed is a very strong one, and the simplicity of the parts, and manner of combining them, renders it very diflicult for it to fail or get out of order.

I am aware that Wrenches, and Wedges of herein set forth.

ADOLPH RODA. Witnesses:

JOHN RODA, Jr., S. J. ALMS. 

